Summary
Week 1 of the Concurrent Enrollment Tool Kit is designed to assist you in getting to know concurrent enrollment students. Students will set a goal for the semester, plan action steps to achieve that goal, and consider any factors that could impact those steps.
Discussion Objectives
Get to know students and evaluate any outside factors that will affect their concurrent enrollment experience.
Coach students in creating a goal and identifying action steps.
Guiding Notes
Greet the student by name and ask them about their day. If this is a student you do not know well, take some time to get to know them better. Make a point to ask about other activities they participate in, in and out of school, that might take up some of their time. Consider also inquiring about their support system at home.
Use the provided Discussion Starters and Discussion Questions and the attached My Goal handout to assist the student in setting a goal for their course(s). Optionally, suggest that the student use a planner in order to help them stay on track to meet this goal. Refer back to any activities they are involved in and discuss how these could impact the achievement of their goal.
To conclude, create a set schedule for future meetings (if possible), share the best way to contact you, and make sure the student is aware of your office hours.
Check with the student to make sure they have no outstanding questions.
Materials List
CE Tool Kit, Week 1 (attached)
My Goal handout (attached, one per student)
Device with internet access (optional)
Pencil/pen
Student planner (recommended)
Topic Focus
Why should we set goals and break them down into smaller steps?
By setting a goal, students help themselves focus, have a clear direction, and maintain momentum in their tasks. When we have a big goal to achieve, we can break it down into smaller action steps, or micro-goals, to make it more manageable. The action steps are easier to achieve and help build confidence and momentum.
Discussion Starters
Consider starting the discussion by asking:
Why did you decide to take this course?
What is a goal you would like to set for yourself to be successful in this course?
Now that you have a goal, what are some action steps you could take that will help you achieve that goal?
Possible action steps:
Setting up a schedule in your planner
Setting aside time to study
Self-care
Discussion Questions
To guide this week’s discussion, consider asking some of the following questions:
What could you do to make your goal more manageable?
Which action step could you start with?
What else do you have going on this semester that might make it harder to achieve your goal?
Who is someone who could assist you with your concurrent enrollment course?
Next Steps
To prepare for next week, ask students to:
Find a safe place to keep their My Goal handout.
Bring back their My Goal handout for Week 3.
Refer to their goals throughout the semester.
Bring their course syllabus, planner, and device to the next meeting.
Research Rationale
Research shows a clear and strong link between concurrent enrollment and increased student academic performance (Jones, 2014; Dingess, 2018). Several studies have also found that students who participate in concurrent enrollment have time to acclimate to the college environment and thus earn higher grades in their postsecondary careers (Allen & Dadgar, 2012; Dingess, 2018). This opportunity to build momentum also provides an avenue for those students who might carry complex social and educational challenges from high school as they transition into the university setting (Wang et al., 2015). A consistent concern with students as they transition from high school to PSE is that many of them might have difficulty in fully acclimating to the rigor and expectations of university-level coursework (Taylor, 2015; Vargas et al., 2017). This is especially apparent when looking at students who identify as first-generation college students, as they might feel overwhelmed by everything from student support to the specifics of financial aid (Lee et al., 2022). Concurrent enrollment offers a bridge between the familiarity of high school and the frontier of higher learning, building on the initial benefits of concurrent enrollment in high school to build toward greater academic momentum fueled by a smooth transition from high school to university (Wang et al., 2015).
To expand on the inherent benefits associated with concurrent enrollment programs, these programs are most successful when students are provided with extra guidance in how to navigate this new academic environment (Witkowsky & Clayton, 2020). Though students in concurrent enrollment programs might be high-performing, it is helpful to remember that they are still high school students and stand to benefit from “wraparound” services that counselors can provide as a bridge between high school and university-level expectations (Witkowsky & Clayton, 2020). Whether partnering directly with specific higher education institutions as part of the concurrent enrollment program or not, wraparound services can still be designed with the university course expectations in mind.
These tool kits are designed as conversation starters to provide the kind of ongoing support that allows concurrent enrollment students to be most successful (Johnson et al., 2021; Lile et al., 2018). Spanning a range of topics between goal setting and writing expectations, each conversation serves as an opportunity for relationship building and mentoring with students. For students who might not know which questions to ask or which resources to look for, these tool kits can help concurrent enrollment coordinators set a foundation for success for students to draw on after high school.
Works Cited
Allen, D., & Dadgar, M. (2012). Does dual enrollment increase students’ success in college? Evidence from a quasi-experimental analysis of dual enrollment in New York City. New Directions for Higher Education, 11-19.
Dingess, E. (2018). The impact of the number of dual enrollment credits on racial minority students' completion time at five Virginia community colleges. ODU Digital Commons. https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/efl_etds/68
Johnson, J. M., Paris, J. H., Curci, J. D., & Horchos, S. (2021). Beyond college access: An exploration of the short-term impact of a dual enrollment program. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory, & Practice, 1–23.
Jones, S. (2014). Student participation in dual enrollment and college success. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 38(1), 24-37.
Lee, J., Fernandez, F., Ro, H. K., & Suh, H. (2022, January 4). Does dual enrollment influence high school graduation, college enrollment, choice, and persistence? Research in Higher Education, 63, 825-848. https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11162-021-09667-3.pdf
Lile, J. R., Ottusch, T. M., Jones, T., & Richards, L. N. (2017). Understanding college-student roles: Perspectives of participants in a high school/community college dual-enrollment program. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 42(2), 95–111. https://doi.org/10.1080/10668926.2016.1264899
Taylor, J. L. (2015). Accelerating pathways to college: The (in)equitable effects of community college dual credit. Community College Review, 43(4), 355-379. https://doi.org/10.1177/0091552115594880
Vargas, J., Hooker, S., & Gerwin, C. (2017, November 1). Blending high school and college can sharpen the focus of each. Phi Delta Kappan, 99(3), 13-18.
Wang, X., Chan, H., Phelps, L. A., & Washbon, J. I. (2015). Fuel for success: Academic momentum as a mediator between dual enrollment and educational outcomes of two-year technical college students. Community College Review, 43(2), 165–190. https://doi.org/10.1177/0091552115569846
Witkowsky, P., & Clayton, G. (2020). What makes dual enrollment work? High school counselor perspectives. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 44(6), 427-444.